OET WRITING FOR NURSES 2014

Hello, my name is Virginia Allum. I write materials for candidates to practise the OET for
nurses.
I have been contacted by quite a few nursing candidates who are preparing for upcoming
OET tests, especially those about to sit the test in June. Many have seen the latest sample of
a nursing letter on the official website and are a bit confused by it. For example, they have
found some inconsistencies in the medical and nursing input as well as the discharge plan.
Then they look at the sample letter and feel that it has changed from previous letters.
Most of the questions I receive go along the lines of 'What will I do in the real test if I get
stimulus material like this?' or 'Should I write information that I know, as a nurse to be
incorrect?'
I think it's worth repeating some general hints about performing this task. Firstly, it is not a
test of your medical or nursing knowledge. It is a test of your language competence. Why is
this important? Well, remember that the majority of assessors do not have a medical or
nursing background. They are looking at your letter from a purely linguistic point of view.

I think it's worth having a look at the marking criteria again to understand what the
assessors are looking for.
1. Overall task fulfilment making sure that your letter is between 180 and 200 words. It's
a good idea to handwrite three paragraphs (of any text) and count the words. What do 200
words look like in your writing? How many words a line do you write? When you do this
you'll notice that the letter is quite short so it has to be concise and well organised to fit into
the word limit.

2. Appropriateness of language including the use of appropriate vocabulary and tone in

the response. If the letter is between you, a nurse, and another nurse it is appropriate to
use medical terms which are commonly used. For example, you would say that a patient has
impetigo rather than a school sores. It is acceptable to use commonly used abbreviations
like ADLs and BCC but don't overuse them. Avoid abbreviations like r/v meaning 'review'.
The vocabulary of your letter will be different if you are writing to a parent or patient. Say
you are the school nurse and are writing to parents to give them some information about an

outbreak of measles in the school. You would need to avoid medical terminology because
your message may not be understood.

3. Comprehension of stimulus - This is one of the difficult areas especially if the stimulus
material does not match your experience as a nurse. The advice on this is to follow the
notes carefully. They are the guide for your full sentences. Don't extend too much from the
notes. E.g. In the sample case notes about a man with pneumonia, there was no mention of
a chest X-ray or antibiotics. You may know that this is what is appropriate in the treatment
of pneumonia but it wasn't in the notes so don't add it.
Try not to bring in past knowledge into the letter. Remember that it is the kind of letter a
language student might write.
Use the information in the discharge plan to guide you. In the sample letter there were
three points under the discharge plan. One was to ensure that the patient takes
paracetamol for chest or abdo pain when he coughs. The second was to 'keep warm'. Notice
that the sample letter explains this as 'he should be kept warm'. So, the words 'keep warm'
have been used as a guide for a sentence giving advice. The final point was about nutrition,
increased fluids and monitoring an improved diet suggested by the dietician.

Control of linguistic features (grammar and cohesion)

Control of presentation features (spelling, punctuation and layout)
The final marking points are important insofar as they affect your message.
This is the critical part of the letter - the way you have you organised the information and
related it to the discharge plan advice.
Some students stress about grammar points such as leaving out definite and indefinite
articles and not getting the present perfect correct. Obviously, getting these things right
makes a better letter, but it's more important to organise your information logically and
communicate it effectively.
In a sense, the letter resembles a handover which you will all be familiar with. You hand
over a patient in a logical way. Name, allergies, name of operation, wound, drains, IVs, ADLs
e.g. mobility and transfers. So, you should be used to organising information in a format
which can be followed easily.